The winners of the <a href="http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T1293/Global_Holcim_Awards_2012_m.htm" target="_blank">Global Holcim Awards</a> were recently announced, and the <a href="http://www.holcimfoundation.org/T1499/Awards_Gold_-_Burkina_Faso.htm">top prize</a> went to Diébédo Francis Kéré of <a href="http://www.kerearchitecture.com/" target="_blank">Kéré Architecture</a> for his design of a secondary school in Burkina Faso. Temperatures reach up to 40°C in the summer in the town of Gando, so cooling is absolutely necessary to create a comfortable environment for education. The town has a population of 3,000 with no secondary school, so Kéré Architecture is in the middle of constructing a smart school complex that relies on simple and effective passive cooling techniques.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/kere-architecture/">Kéré Architecture</a> is a German firm with heaps of experience around the globe specializing in beautiful and effective humanitarian designs.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

Diébédo Francis Kéré and his firm were recently award the 2012 Global Holcim Gold Award for their design of a secondary school in one of the world’s poorest countries, which aims to provide further education to the inhabitants of the rural area of Gando, Burkina Faso.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

Kéré and his team had already completed a primary school in the town, but now the children are getting older and need new facilities to continue on with their education.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

The school includes classrooms, a circular library, shaded courtyards and a sports field.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

The new school complex takes inspiration from traditional construction and is conscious of prevailing winds and local climatic conditions.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

With temperatures hitting 40°C in the summer, keeping the school rooms cool is a primary concern. To provide cooling without mechanical means, the school will rely on natural ventilation cooling strategies like routing air through underground tubes, planting vegetation, and the use of double-skin roofs and façades.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

Floor plan of the new circular library.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

Site plan of the secondary school.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

These strategies will achieve a 5°C thermal reduction. Rainwater will be collected for to irrigate the newly planted trees and vegetation.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

After the selection of the school, the Head of jury, Enrique Norten, TEN Arquitectos noted, "We selected a very beautiful school in Burkina Faso. It's not only a very elegant design solution, but it's a project that brings together the work of the community, it uses local materials, and with very simple means it creates a really fabulous environment - both from a social point of view, but also from a constructive point of view."

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

The Global Holcim Awards Gold 2012 will receive USD 200,000.

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Secondary School-Kere Architecture

The winners of the Global Holcim Awards were recently announced, and the top prize went to Diébédo Francis Kéré of Kéré Architecture for his design of a secondary school in Burkina Faso. Temperatures reach up to 40°C in the summer in the town of Gando, so cooling is absolutely necessary to create a comfortable environment for education. The town has a population of 3,000 with no secondary school, so Kéré Architecture is in the middle of constructing a smart school complex that relies on simple and effective passive cooling techniques.